Diazotype printing and developing apparatus



Jan. 19, 1960 Filed Aug. 23, 1957 F. H. FRANTZ DIAZOTYPE PRINTING AND DEVELOPING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet l FiOJ INVENTOR.

FREDERICK H. FRANTZ Y. Q LA l/l ATTORNEYS Jan. 19, 1960 F. H. FRANTZ DIAZOTYPE PRINTING AND DEVELOPING APPARATUS Filled Aug. 23, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 v FIG.2

INVENTOR. FREDERICK H.- FRANTZ BY H-QA l 'v M ATTORNEYS United States Patent DIAZOTYPE PRINTING AND DEVELOPING APPARATUS Frederick H. Frautz, Binghamton, N .Y., assignor to General Aniline & Film Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Application August 23, 1957, Serial No. 679,853

2 Claims. (Cl. 9577.5)

This invention relates to diazotype printing and developing apparatus and, more particularly, to improvements in such apparatus for making duplicate copies of both opaque and translucent originals.

Diazotype machines are widely employed in industry for making exact duplicates of translucent originals, such as drawings or letters, and deliver a positive photocopy which can immediately be used without further processing or drying. For this reason, these machines are generally termed dry printing and developing machines known by the tradename Ozalid to distinguish them from other types where the exposed material is liquid developed and thereafter must be dried before it can be used.

The Ozalid-type machines have generally three distinct functional assemblies combined into one operating unit. In the first assembly, designated as the printer, the sensitized material, in contact with an original, is exposed to high intensity light. In the second assembly, known as the separator-conveyor unit, the material is separated from the original and conveyed to the developer while the original is delivered at a predetermined location into a suitable receiving tray. The third assembly is the developer where the exposed material is subjected to the vapors of a volatile developing agent, such as heated aqueous ammonia, and thereafter delivered by the conveyor into a print delivery receiving tray.

The primary object of this invention is to extend the general utility of such machines by improvements in the components thereof and their arrangement so as to permit the making of duplicates from an original which is opaque in character.

Another object of the invention is to provide a duplicating machine of such construction to be used to process difierent types of diazo materials and thus have a dual function.

A particular feature of this invention is that the apparatus constructed in accordance therewith is capable of printing and developing from an opaque original an intermediate copy on translucent material and thereafter utilizing this translucent intermediate copy to product conventional diazotype prints.

Another feature of the invention is that the dual function of such apparatus may be obtained by simple modifications without disturbing the normal operation of the machine.

Other objects and features will be apparent from the following description of the invention, pointed out in particularity in the appended claims and taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a schematic representation of a diazotype printing apparatus so constructed as to produce, aside from translucent masters, an intermediate copy from an opaque original;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of the apparatus showing, in perspective, the dispositionof the radiation sourcesand the printing cylinder.

.As mentioned before, diazotype copying apparatus are nals. However, such an apparatus has the drawback that opaque originals which will not permit the exposure light to penetrate, will not print. Attempts have been made to use screens or other means to obtain exposure of diazo material by light reflected from the opaque original.- These proved useful to some extent, but require special handling of the material and removal of the screen, thus increasing processing time.

It has been observed that certain diazo coated photosensitive vesicular print materials, such as, for example, those described in British Patents 645,825, 707,959, and 719,920, may be adapted for producing copies from an opaque original without the use of screens or other instrumentalities. Moreover, such materials may be developed by subjecting them to radiation in the infrared range of the spectrum while they are also reactive when subjected to ultraviolet light and, as a matter of fact, are conditioned thereby so as to produce an image when exposed in contact with an opaque original.

By virtue of this property of being reactive to ultraviolet radiation which is normally used in diazotype apparatus, such vesicular print material may be used advantageously when coated on a translucent base as an intermediate to produce a print from an opaque original and thereafter this intermediate may be used as a translucent master to produce copies on conventional diazotype printing paper. The apparatus herein described is adapted to use the above vesicular print material as well as two-component diazo material.

Referring to the drawings, in the schematic view of Fig. 1, the housing 10 of the machine is shown merely in outlineto indicate that the components are supported and arranged in a housing which surrounds all the working parts.

The various controls for the operation of the machine and the power drive, which may be a suitable type of electric motor, are not shown for the sake of simplicity of illustration since the invention is not concerned with these components.

The lightexposing portion of the apparatus consists of a cylinder 11 of translucent material, preferably glass, which is rotatably supported in a freely floating arrangement, by means of roller supports 13 and 14 engaging the periphery of the cylinder 11 so that the latter is cradled. Roller 15 engages the edge of the cylinder 11 at one end to prevent axial displacement, there being a similar roller at the other end, not shown here. A plurality of porous, endless conveyor belts 16 are arranged side by side to partially envelope the cylinder 11 and are guided by a plurality of rollers 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21, so distributed that the sheet material fed into the machine over the feedboard 22 will pass over the surface ofthe cylinder 11 and, thereafter, be guided to enter the separator and developer portions of the machine. The roller 17 may be used as the driving element of the belts 16 by means of a suitable motor, not shown here.

A secondary conveyor comprises several porous, endless belts 24, arranged side by side and traveling over roller 25, tensioning roller 26 and suction roller 27. Over a portion of this travel, the two belts 16 and 24 run parallel and in contact with each other, forming a conveying passage. The separating assembly is located within this portion and comprises two suction elements. One element is a triangularly-shaped.suction chamber 29 which deflects the material facing it while the other, which deflects the material facing toward the front of the machine, is the above mentioned suction roller 27.

The entry into the separator assembly is between rollers 25 and 30. The latter is of resilient material, such-as relatively soft rubber, so as to pass the two-ply combiable electric heater-element.

.cate copies.

, development.

nation, namely, the sensitized material and the original tightly against the surface of the cylinder 11. As seen in Fig. 2, the roller 30 is located directly opposite the radiation source 31 in the cylinder 11 and near the stripping fingers 32. Consequently, the material is removed from the cylinder 11 as soon as it passes the source 54. The purpose of this will be explained later.

vThe stripping fingers 32, being pivotally supported over the'shaft 55, are arranged alongside the printing cylinder 11 and in contact therewith. a

The suction chamber 29 has a perforated side 34 over which pass the porous belts 1 6 as they travel between the rollers and 30.

non-porous belt, generally termed the sealing sleeve 37, completely covers the perforated wall 36 as it travels over rollers 38, 39 and 40. t

i I Within the tank '35 is placed thejevaporator tray-41 having an electricalheater rod 42 placed thereabove. The tray 41 is supplied with aqua ammonia in any suitable manner, not shown here, and the ammonia within the tray is vaporized by the heater rod 42. The gaseous medium so produced passes through the perforations of the wall 36 so as to induce the required chemical reaction of the exposed sensitized material which is" passed along and in contact with the wall by means of the traveling sealing sleeve 37.

Above roller 26, in the upper portion of the machine, is placed the developing tank 35 'which has a curved, perforated wall 36. An endless,

the feedboard 22 in such a manner that the original is on the bottom and the coated side of the vesicular print material is on the top. .The conveyor belts 16 receive the material fed over the feedboard 22 and pass it around the rotating printing cylinder 11, thus the vesicular print material which is on-translucent base is first subjected to the radiation of the ultraviolet lamp 45 fora particular duration of time depending upon the rotational speed .of the cylinder 11.

Thereafter, as the printing cylinder. rotates, the .ma-

'terial,- in contact'with the opaque original, is subjected passes the material over the stripping fingers 32 so as to enter between the belts'16 and 24 to be passed, toward.

- the suction chamber 29.

The construction of the printing cylinder assembly and the radiation sources therewithin are of particular importance as far as the present invention is concerned.

In Fig. 2, the perspective view shows that. the first radiation source, consisting of the ultraviolet lamp 45, faces downwardly and is encased ina compartment 48 having a transparent side 49'facing the conveyor belts v 16. The compartment 48 is for the purpose of enclosing the lamp 45 and also to provide a duct for the cooling at to pass through inasmuch as a certain temperature must be maintained for the proper operation of such lamps. The compartment 48 may be supported, from the crosspiece 46 by means of a screw 50 so that the heat of'the lamp 45 may be adjusted. A similar'screw will be found, of course on the other end of the cylinder, but is not shown here. r I

Above the lamp 45 and supported by means of brackets 52 and 53, mounted on the crosspiece 46, is placed a radiation source 54 which emits chiefly infrared, rays. ,This maybe a standard lamp made for this purpose or a suit- It rests in a trough 56 having cooling'fans 57. This assembly is also in a casing 58 which runs coaxially in the cylinder 11. As mentioned before, the placement of the infrared source 54 is immediately under the resilient. pressure roller and near the stripping fingers 32. The purpose of this construction will now be explained.

It was stated before that conventional printing apparathe aforementioned British specifications, known as vesicular-type diazo material, exhibits theproperty of printditioning of the sensitized layer and, thereafter, by sub-.

jecting it to radiation in the infrared range of the spectrum. in contact with an opaque original, the image will be developed. Consequently, it is not necessary that such the vesicular-type material may be exposed and developed so as to become thereafter a translucent master from V which the same apparatus will produce copies by gaseous In producing a translucent master, the vesicular print m te i s p s ini n st it an opaq e rigi t ver Inasmuch as the translucent copy is toibefused as a master for making paper copies on conventional fdiazo material and, since the image has already. been developed, both the original and the resultant translucent intermediate copy must be delivered from the apparatus.

This is accomplished bythe deflector fingers .6liloc'ated 1 in the suction chamber 29.;' For this purpose, therod62 ispulled out so that the fingers '61, extruding from. the chamber 29, prevent the opaque original from'adher'ing to the conveyor belts 12and entering the developing portion of the machine. Instead, the opaque original will be deposited. into the receivin'gjtray 60. The translucent intermediate will also be deposited in the tray inasmuch tus requires a translucent original in order to make'dupli- However, material of the type disclosed in ing an image from an opaque original provided that such i 8 material is exposedfirst to radiation in the ultraviolet range. This first exposure performs a triggering or con-' contact with conventional dia zo"copy material over' the feedboard 22 in such a manner that. the diazo material is on the bottom with thecoated side facing up and the translucent original on the top thereof.

After exposure over the printing cylinder violet light source 45, both the. intermediate .and 'the copy paper are passed between belts 1 6' and 24. Now the suction in the chamber 29 will hold the diazo material against the belts 16 so that it will pass into the developing portion of the machine betweeuthe sealing sleeve 37 against the perforated wall 36 of thedeveloping' tank 35. The translucent intermediate, on the'other hand, will follow the suctionroller '27 and will be deposited .in' the tray 60 to be'used again tomake another diazotype print.

This application is a continuation-in-pa rt of thy copending application, Serial No. 596,954, filed July 10,- 1956. Iclaim: l j j l 1 1. In a printing apparatus for making aduplicate copy of either a translucent or an opaque original ondiazo sensitized sheet material, a. transparent cylinder over which exposure ofthesen sitized material in contact with the original is effected, means for rotatably supporting said cylinder and minimizing heat .transfer therefrom, a

plurality of spaced, endless conveyor belts partially sur rounding said cylinder'and running over a plurality of rollers, said beltsapplying rotary motion to'said cylinder thereby conveyingsaid sheetmaterial in contact with the original from a feed platform, around said'cylindenand to' a receiving tray, a first radiationsourcein the ultraviolet range of the spectrum within said cylinder near said feed platform, a second radiation source in the infrared range of the spectrum near said'receiving trayga resilient pressure roller. contacting said cylinder A opposite said second radiation source and means for stripping s'aid sheet material and said original from. said cylinder, said stripping means being' closely adjacent said pressure roller,

the ultra and conveyor and separator means for selectively transporting said sheet material andsaid original to predetermined locations in said machines.

2. In a printing apparatus for making a duplicate copy of either a translucent or an opaque original on diazo sensitized sheet material, a transparent cylinder over which exposure of the sensitized material in contact with the original is efiected, means for rotatably supporting said cylinder over idler rollers of heat insulating material thereby minimizing heat transfer therefrom, a plurality of spaced, endless conveyor belts of low heat conductivity partially surrounding said cylinder and running over a plurality of rollers, said belts applying rotary motion to said cylinder, thereby conveying sheet material in contact with the original from a feed platform, around said 15 2,459,362

cylinder, and to a receiving tray, an ultraviolet radiation source within said cylinder near said feed platform, an infrared radiation source near said receiving tray, a resilient pressure roller contacting said cylinder opposite said second radiation source and means for stripping said sheet material and said original from said cylinder, said stripping means being closely adjacent said pressure roller, and conveyor and separator means for selectively transporting said sheet material and said original to predeter- 10 mined locations in said machine.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Cary Jan. 18, 1949 

